I have spent 15 years now in Uganda and have learnt a lot about the ability and talent that exists in rural communities. The organisation I founded with my colleague from Northern Uganda, Grace Ayaa, is called Chrysalis and we have worked together to change the lives of many children and youth living in inner-city urban and remote rural communities. Our main focus has been identifying children who have ability as social entrepreneurs and a desire to create change, but we also run the Platinum Kids Athletics Programme and this rural music programme is new.
A few months ago, I met with Charles Obina, now an established professional musician, who has performed worldwide with his unique 22-string adungu, an indigenous Ugandan stringed strumming instrument, with a unique timbre. The small ones are a useful instrument for students and can also help children learn they have musical ability. Charles grew up during the war in Northern Uganda and featured in the film Wardance, a moving documentary which was ostensibly a film about triumph against adversity, as the children struggled in their lives in the middle of a war, yet their talents shone through and provided them with something to focus on, when life was so bleak. I invited Charles to be a music teacher at our school, the Chrysalis Secondary School, which is in Omoro, also in Northern Uganda.
Charles has been friends with Dominic Akena, the main star of Wardance, who was 14 at the time of the film. His ability with xylophone shone through and this has inspired us to develop this programme to locate the most musical children in rural and inner-city urban areas in Northern Uganda and help them develop a career in music.
Charles has also become an accomplished guitarist over his years as a professional musician and he currently teaches the children at our secondary school.
In December this year, we are running a residential camp for younger children up to the age of 13, which will assess their ability, give them a chance to play very many instruments under the supervision of experts - piano and keyboard, bass guitar, guitar, drum kit, trumpet and trombone, clarinet and indigenous instruments - xylophone, adungu, tube fiddle, nanga, lukeme, flutes, drums and lother local percussion. They'll learn some music theory, how to write music and be given a chance to compose their own music. At the end of the camp, we will be having a concert which will include the participants and their tutors.
In January we hope to invite some of the camp participants to a Saturday music school that we are starting at Chrysalis, so that these children can continue with their studies.
This is a pilot project and we expect to have around 40 children for this first camp. We do expect it to be successful, as we have an excellent staff team that have a wide range of musical experience, including players from Watoto Church, our own Charles Obina, Dominic Akena and the international cultural star Watmon.
5 adungus made especially for the music camp by local instrument-makers
Charles with a group of adungu players at our Chrysalis Secondary School
Working with the traditional instruments is important and unique, as it will foster a connection with the local culture and the music produced will be familiar to the children. It is also in these instruments that they will have gained some proficiency, so that we can assess their musical capability.
Traditional flutes
At the same time we include Western instruments, as often these can be more versatile and thus can be used in a number of different musical styles, which professional musicians need to know. We'll be presenting live and recorded and live music (from our musical tutors) to the children participating in the camp.
Girls from Labour Line Primary School
We have invited several schools, that have been prominent in Music, Dance and Drama regionally to select 8 of their children, 4 boys and 4 girls up to the age of 13 - Wacadogo, Gulu Primary, Lapainat, Layibi Teko, Atyang, Laminoluka and Labour Line Gulu and from these we will assess their potential in a range of instruments from traditional to modern. Next we will give them a chance to play a whole variety of instruments under the supervision of the tutors:
Drum Kit
Guitar x 2
Bass guitar
Keyboards x 2
Tube Fiddle
Adungu (Treble and Bass)
Lukeme
Nanga
Percussion
Trad. xylophone
Flutes
and more....
BUDGET
Instrument purchase
Xylophone - 400,000
Adungus - 200,000
Percussion and other instruments - 1,000,000
Strings - 125,000
Staff Costing
Charles team - 1,500,000
Other teams - 500,000
Food
1,250,000
Transport
500,000
Sports for the kids
200,000
Contingency
1,000,000
(All in UGX)
This works out to be about £1500
There is a short-term target of £1500, but the fundraiser will stay open to receive funds for this project. Our hope is to run this 3 times a year, as we discover more talents. Additional money raised will go towards the development and implementation of a Saturday School starting in February 2025 and continuing forward.